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Celebrate the creativity of women book artists in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Live! At the Library: Mid-Atlantic Book Artists
Thursday, July 30, 2026
5:30 to 7 pm
Join the Library of Congress (LOC) and the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) for a panel discussion with women artists in the Mid-Atlantic region nominated for NMWA’s upcoming 2027 exhibition, Women to Watch: A Book Arts Revolution. The evening will include remarks from NMWA Director Susan Fisher Sterling, a moderated discussion between artists and curators, and a pop-up exhibition of artists’ books from the LOC’s rare book collection.
Explore how book arts continue to challenge assumptions about the physical and artistic nature of the book and are defining a new chapter in book history. The evening will also include a reception for attendees.
Free. Registration required.
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Location
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building, LJ 119
10 1st Street SE, Washington, DC 20540
Event Panelists
Elizabeth Ajunwa, director of the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Irene Chan, a multidisciplinary artist who works conceptually in print media, papermaking, installation art, storytelling performance, and book arts on subjects of Taoism, personal immigrant narratives, and overlooked histories.
Lyall Harris, a visual artist, creative and critical writer, and arts educator, who also teaches book art, letterpress, and creative writing workshops and classes. Themes in Harris’s work include motherhood, relationships, and the everyday.
Sarah Matthews, a printmaker and book artist. Her work reflects her commitment to exploring the complex issues of race, equality, and gender, while shedding light on social injustice. Through her layered prints and artist books, she documents the struggles of breaking through social barriers.
Adriana Monsalve, an artist, educator, cultural worker and collaborative publisher working (mostly) in the photobook medium. Along with Caterina Ragg, Monsalve is co-founder of Homie House Press, a radical cooperative platform that challenges the ever-changing forms of storytelling with image and text.
Stephanie Stillo (moderator), chief of the Rare Book & Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress.
Janelle Washington, a self-taught paper-cut and silhouette designer from Richmond, Virginia. Through the simplicity of paper, Washington creates images that showcase African Americans’ courage, achievements, and grace in difficult situations. In addition, her work explores Black culture, history, identity, family, and feminine beauty themes
https://nmwa.org/whats-on/calendar/live-at-the-library-mid-atlantic-book-artists/
Image Caption: Sarah Matthews, transient, 2014; Artist’s book; Courtesy of the artist; Photo by Emily Shaw, Courtesy of Betty Boyd Dettre Library & Research Center.
